The
Octave Day of Easter, sometimes known as
Low Sunday (and also known historically as
White Sunday, Whitsunday, St. Thomas Sunday and
Quasimodo Sunday), is the Sunday after
Easter Sunday. Since 1970 Low Sunday has been officially known as the
Second Sunday of Easter (referring to the Easter season) in the
Roman Catholic Church. On April 30, 2000 it was also designated
Divine Mercy Sunday by
Pope John Paul II.
Prior to the 1970 Roman this day was called Low Sunday. It was sometimes said that the name derives from its relative unimportance compared to the solemnities of Easter Day, but it is more likely that "low" is a corruption of the Latin word Laudes, the first word of the Sequence of the day "Laudes Salvatori voce modulemur supplici" (Let us sing praises to the Savior with humble voice). Laudes means "praises".
Traditionally, the newly-baptised would receive baptismal gowns that would be worn until this day, and the official Latin name is Dominica in Albis [Depositis], "Sunday in [Setting Aside the] White Garments". Hence "White" and "Alb" Sunday—which is also the etymology of Whitsunday (Pentecost).
The name Quasimodo came from the Latin text of the traditional Introit for this day, which begins "Quasi modo geniti infantes..." ("As newborn babes...", from the First Epistle of Peter (I_Peter 22). Literally, quasi modo means "as recently [sc. born babes]".
